


Crawling in Your Skin

by Ice_Queen784



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Body Horror, But in a weird creepy way, Cannibalism, Cult of shapeshifting aliens, Cults, Gen, Horror, Human Sacrifice, I wanted to write a horror fic for Halloween so here we are, Mind Control, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Parent Melinda May, Season/Series 03, This gets very dark and very violent, You Have Been Warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-06 00:21:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21217478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ice_Queen784/pseuds/Ice_Queen784
Summary: May and Simmons are sent to investigate an alleged sighting of shapeshifters. What they find is so much worse than they ever could have imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a horror fic because it's spooky season. I made this as scary as I possibly could. This will get very dark, very intense, and very violent. So if that's not your thing, don't read this. You've been warned. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Happy Halloween!

Melinda walked down to Coulson’s office with Jemma for a mission brief. Melinda hadn’t been told what the mission was, or why he had chosen her and Jemma specifically. But she figured it had something to do with the Inhumans. Their existence had been revealed to the public when terragen crystals had broken and contaminated the ocean. Most of their missions these days involved responding to reports of new Inhumans. They had to move fast in these cases. They weren’t the only ones searching for them.

Coulson was standing in front of his desk when they walked in.

“May, Simmons,” he greeted them. “We’ve had reports of two supposed Inhumans with the ability to shapeshift. It’s unusual for two Inhumans to have the same power, which makes this case strange. If they are Inhumans, the normal protocol applies. If they aren’t, figure out what they are and take care of them.”

“What do you mean by take care of them?” Melinda asked. “How?”

“However you feel is necessary.” He replied. “If they’re a threat, neutralize them. If they aren’t, let them go or bring them back here, if you feel they could be assets or are in danger. I trust your judgement.” 

“Why us?” Jemma spoke up. “Why me?”

“Simmons, if anyone can figure out what these two are, it’s you.” He told her. “And there’s no one better trained to fight them than May, if it comes to that. There’s no one I feel more comfortable sending on this mission than you two. This isn’t our normal Inhuman report, and we can’t treat it like it is.”

“Where are they?” Melinda asked. 

“Ohio,” He informed them. “There’s a video of them.”

Coulson played the video on the screen. At first, it just appeared to be two deer walking along the side of the road. But the closer she looked, Melinda could tell there was something off. She felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. She looked over at Jemma, who looked just as uneasy. Then suddenly, the deer stood up on their hindlegs and looked in the direction of the camera. They appeared to be two women, with unnaturally pale skin, silver hair and almost colorless eyes. Melinda was not easily frightened, but the sight filled her with a terror she hadn’t felt in a long time. Jemma looked even more horrified. 

“Sir, I don’t think these are Inhumans we’re dealing with here.” Jemma told him, her voice shaky. “I don’t think these are humans at all.”

“Neither do I.” He replied. “So find out what they are, and deal with them.”

*****

Daisy went up to Coulson’s office the moment she heard about their mission. She didn’t know what these people were, but she knew they weren’t Inhumans. And she didn’t want May and Simmons went out alone. 

“Coulson, I understand why we need to find these shapeshifters.” She told him. “I understand why you want to send May and Simmons. But you can’t send them out there alone. We don’t know what they’ll be up against.”

“Whatever it is, they will be more than capable of handling it.” Coulson replied. “They’re two of our best agents.”

“Which is exactly why we can’t risk them.” She argued. “I’m sure Simmons can figure out what they are. I’m sure May can subdue or defeat them or whatever she needs to. But what if this is a trap? What if these shapeshifters are capable of more than we anticipate? We know nothing about them. And there’s always a chance they won’t be able to handle it. You can’t send them alone. Please, Coulson, I have a terrible feeling about this.”

“They’ll be fine.” He assured her. “If they need help, they can send for backup. They’re not going too far away. We can be there within the hour to help them if necessary. But I don’t think it will be. May and Simmons can handle this. We can’t afford to send more agents with them, not with everything else going on. We’re going to have to trust in their abilities. And that’s the end of it.”

*****

Jemma walked up to the cockpit of the quinjet where May was, preparing for takeoff. 

“Do you mind if I sit up here with you?” She asked her.

“Come here,” May patted the seat beside her. 

She sat down beside May and buckled in. As they took off, she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She was pretty sure these shapeshifters weren’t Inhumans. But she had no idea what they could actually be. And she was terrified.

“Calm down.” May’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Coulson is right. We are more than capable of handling this. If anyone can figure out what’s going on it’s you, Simmons.”

“Aren’t you afraid?” 

“Of course I am.” She replied. “I’d be an idiot not to be. We don’t know what we’re going to find out there. But we can’t let them know that.”

“That’s easy for you to say.”

“Simmons, were you afraid when you were undercover at Hydra?” 

“Every day.” Jemma told her.

“And did you show it?”

“I couldn’t. Not if I wanted to survive.”

“Exactly. This is the same thing.” May told her. “No matter how afraid we might be, we can’t let whatever these things are know that. Because the moment we do, they have the advantage. We have to stay calm, no matter what happens. I know you can do that, Simmons. You’re better at this than you give yourself credit for.” 

Jemma knew May was right. So she took a deep breath and pushed her fear away. Whatever was waiting for them when they landed, they could handle it. 


	2. Chapter 2

Melinda landed the quinjet in a clearing outside Gallipolis, Ohio. They were about a mile away from the place where the shapeshifters were seen. 

“Come on,” she told Jemma as she stood up. “We have a bit of a walk ahead of us. We’re about a mile out from where they were spotted, but who the hell knows where they are now.”

“Well, at least it’s a nice day out.” Jemma remarked.

They walked outside into the grassy clearing. There was forest on all sides. They started walking in the direction of the road, both of them alert for any sign of the shapeshifters. They walked for well over a mile, staying at the edge of the woods near the road. They were far past the place where they sighting occurred. 

“Maybe they’re gone.” Jemma remarked hopefully.

“Maybe. But I wouldn’t count on it.” 

Melinda hoped they were gone. She hoped they were out here chasing wild geese. And for another mile or so, it seemed like they were. 

But then, she heard footsteps. Well, more like paw steps, actually. She grabbed Jemma’s arm and stopped her. They turned around to see two bobcats staring at them from a few yards away. There was something off about them. And Melinda felt the same fear she had felt watching the deer on the video.

“I think that’s them.” Jemma whispered. Melinda nodded. 

The bobcats walked slowly toward them. Melinda prepared herself for a fight, and Jemma reached for her gun. Just before they reached them, the bobcats stood up on their hind legs and turned into the silver haired women they were looking for. 

“There’s no need for a fight, ladies.” One woman said, in an accent Melinda had never heard before. 

“We aren’t here for a fight.” Melinda told them. “We’re just here to ask some questions.”

“You two have no idea why you’re here.” The other woman laughed. 

Before either of them could react, the women had transformed back into bobcats and knocked them to the ground on their bellies. Melinda turned around to see one of them transform back halfway to tie her hands together. The woman’s haunting colorless eyes were the last thing she saw before she blacked out. 

*****

Jemma opened her eyes. She was tied up next to May under a tree. 

“May, where are we?” She whispered. 

“I’m not sure.” May replied. “Did you happen to recognize their accents.”

“No.” 

“We need to figure out how to get out of here.” She told her. “We need to call for backup.”

“But how? They took our weapons and we have no idea where we are.” 

“Oh, are you two plotting your escape already?” One of the women said, walking up to them. The other shapeshifter was right beside her. 

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not going anywhere.” The other one told them.

“You’re from SHIELD, aren’t you?” The first one asked. “We were hoping to catch one or two of you. SHIELD can’t stop us if we infiltrate them, can they?”

“What do you think we should name them?” The second asked.

“What’s that on the SHIELD symbol? A bird?”

“It’s an eagle.” Jemma corrected.

“A bird.” The first smiled. “They’re our little birds.”

“Mother Bird and Baby Bird.” The second cooed. Jemma felt a sick feeling creep up inside her.

“Who are you?” May demanded. 

“I’m Ijeñ.” The first one told them. “And this is Piyrŭ.”

“But don’t you worry about us.” Piyrŭ remarked. “Go back to sleep.”

Jemma blacked out again. 

*****

Phil stood in his office with the rest of the team. A day had passed since May and Simmons had left on their mission. They hadn’t heard anything from them since they landed. 

“As you’re all aware, May and Simmons have gone MIA. They should’ve returned sometime yesterday.” He announced. “The same security camera footage that caught the shapeshifters saw them walk pass the same spot about twenty minutes after they landed. That’s the last time they were seen.”

“Were they kidnapped by the shapeshifters?” Fitz asked, fear in his voice. 

“They might have been.” He answered. “I don’t know. Which is why I’m sending out a team to search for them. I want Daisy, Mack, and Hunter on board a quinjet in twenty minutes. Fly out to Ohio, find them, bring them home, and take out whatever took them.”

“Yes, sir.” Daisy replied. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ijeñ is pronounced Eejenya, Piyrǔ is pronounced Peereh, and Kawchoch is pronounced kashosh. I hope that's helpful.

When Melinda woke up again, she had no idea how much time had passed. It could’ve been an hour, a day, or a week. She didn’t know. She just knew that it was dark. And she was scared and disoriented. She was still tied up beneath the tree with Jemma, who looked like she had just woken up as well. 

Ijeñ and Piyrǔ were walking towards them, along with two men. She had never seen them before, but they all had the same silver hair and colorless eyes as Ijeñ and Piyrǔ. 

“Chyǔg kar.” Ijeñ’s words sounded like a command, but Melinda had no idea what they meant. 

The two shapeshifters grabbed Melinda and Jemma and dragged them to their feet. Her instincts told her to fight them, but she found she had no will left to. She had been drained and forced into submission, and she could tell Jemma had been too. 

They followed the two women into a clearing, where a small crowd was gathered. They didn’t look like the others. A few of them appeared to be another species of alien. A few of them looked like normal humans. One face even looked familiar, but she was too far gone to recognize him. 

She and Jemma were forced to sit in the center of the clearing and tied together by their torsos. Jemma grabbed her hand out of fear, and she squeezed back tightly. 

“What’s going on?” Jemma whispered. She sounded like she was crying.

“I don’t know.”

The two shapshifters who had dragged them here joined the crowd around them. Ijeñ and Piyrǔ stood in the center beside them. Melinda felt like she was about to be sacrificed. 

“Kawcha, Kawjǒ pu Ke Daw Kawchoch, shid kat yǔkʼech Chi tat a kawchach p’og mut chy’achy dek chyʼerǒ awmchǔñǒg.” The two women said in unison. “A yǔcha kar ika or pu shid. Yǔcha kar kawchoch jej kar ru ĵǔk Chi iyruchy, chy’amy, ĵǔk taĵǔkniy k’u mi chyçǒn pu kara hupna, no opachyçǔ Ke Daw Kawchoch je. Dar p’og ñǒg moshna ĵʝǒ Chi shitu ĵǔk p’og mut ru ika Chi miyrǔrna. Kar ru ika Ke Daw Kawchoch.”

Melinda had no idea what the two shapeshifters had just said or what bizarre language they were speaking. But she did know that the women were holding two torches burning with silver flames. They lowered the torches and set them on fire. They both screamed as the flames burned. 

“Ke Daw Kawchoch.” The crowd chanted around them. “Ke Daw Kawchoch.”

*****

When the flames died down, Jemma felt her body changing. Transforming into something else. Up until this moment, she had thought she and May were being sacrificed. But now she realized they were being turned into shapeshifters. 

She felt her body rise from the silver flames, as if she was flying. She felt much smaller than usual. She looked down to see that she had been turned into a small raven. She had no control over her own movements, but she could see an identical bird out of the corner of her eye, and she knew May had met her same fate. 

As Jemma and May hovered above the flames, Ijeñ and Piyrǔ spoke again. But this time, Jemma could understand what their language.

“Kawcha, Kawjǒ pu Ke Daw Kawchach, shid kʼikʼij kat yǔkʼech Chi tat a chyçawkʼǔd p’og mut muk Chi daĵǔk no ǒd jej ñawbu.” _ Kawcha, God of Those Who Change, we also call upon you today to bond these two in your service as mother and daughter. _ “Kar ru k’imbo kara chyʼepʼesh shina jej ĵʝǔbochyçuna. Ñǒ ǒ hup k’u mi chyçǒn pu kara hupna, kar ru katra Ôd Chǔkpeñ jej Ñawbu Chǔkpeñ. Dar p’og jechoj moshna ĵʝǒ Chi shitu jej chyçawkʼǔd p’og mut chǔp muk Chi daĵǔk no Ôd Chǔkpeñ jej Dep Chǔkpeñ.” _ They shall renounce their human names and relationships. From this day until the end of their days, they shall be known as Mother Bird and Baby Bird. Bless these white flames with your power, and bond these two forever in your service as Mother Bird and Baby Bird. _

White flames were added to the silver ones, and Jemma could feel something change inside of her. She felt a sudden connection to May she had never felt before. She didn’t know she could feel a connection this strong. 

“Ôd Chǔkpeñ! Dep Chǔkpeñ!” 

The crowd chanted their new names in this foreign until the flames burned out and Jemma and May fell to the ground in their human forms. 


	4. Chapter 4

After the ritual, Melinda followed Ijeñ and Piyrŭ out of the clearing and back into the woods. Instinctively, she grabbed Jemma’s hand. She had always felt protective of the younger woman. She hadn’t been trained as a field agent, and she had little experience in combat. But now, she felt protective in a different way. It was almost like a maternal instinct. 

They were taken to a tent in a small camp. Melinda recognized the people milling about from the ceremony. 

“Ŏ ru gon chi moñ dechyçaw.”  _ This will be your new home. _ Ijeñ told them. “Gon chirushna chyçawchy.”  _ Make yourselves comfortable _ . 

“Jetcho chi.”  _ Thank you.  _ Melinda found herself replying. The language felt strange coming out of her mouth. She had no idea how she was suddenly able to speak and understand it. 

“Nochy.”  _ Yes.  _ Jemma nodded. “Jetcho chi.” 

The leaders left them alone in the tent. It didn’t really have a bed. Just some blankets on the ground. 

“We should get some sleep.” Melinda suggested, laying down. 

Jemma laid down next to her, and Melinda wrapped her arms around her. She half expected her to pull away, but instead, she snuggled up to her. 

“What’s going on?” Jemma asked quietly. Her voice was small, like a frightened child.

“I don’t know.” 

“I’m scared.” 

“So am I.” Melinda admitted. “But we’ll be alright, baby.”

The endearment felt just as foreign as the shapeshifter’s language. But it somehow felt natural. And it seemed to comfort Jemma. 

“Go to sleep, Jemma.” She said, running a hand through the girl’s hair. Jemma closed her eyes and fell asleep in her arms. And Melinda fell asleep not long after. 

*****

Jemma walked through the woods on a moonless night. She couldn’t see anything except for faint outlines of the trees and bushes around her. Until a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared in front of her. She froze in fear. As the eyes got closer, the form of a wolf began to take shape. But the eyes gradually started to lose color. 

By the time the wolf reached her, it’s eyes were colorless. It growled, but the growl was off. It almost sounded like a human trying to imitate a growl. 

Suddenly, the wolf leaped for her.

“Mama!” She screamed, jolting awake. 

May say up beside her, and Jemma realized who she had just said that to. But the older woman didn’t seem to mind.

“What’s wrong, baby?” She cooed.

“I had a bad dream.” Jemma started to cry.

“Come here, Jemma.” She laid back down and rested Jemma’s head against her chest. 

“I’m scared, Mama.” She cried.

“It’s okay.” May comforted. “No one’s going to hurt you, baby. I’ll protect you from anyone who tries. I promise. Go back to sleep.”

The next morning, Jemma woke up still in May’s arms. 

“Good morning, Jemma.” She planted a soft kiss in her hair.

“Good morning, May.”

“Can I come in?” A familiar voice asked suddenly.

“Sure.” May agreed.

When the man stepped into the tent, Jemma thought she might stop breathing. It was Grant Ward. And another man she didn’t recognize. Ward must have sensed her fear.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He told them. “I just wanted to welcome you.”

“I’m sorry, how did you get into a cult of shapeshifting creeps?” May questioned.

“Same way as you.” He replied. “Me and Will here were on an assignment-,”

“For Hydra?” Jemma cut him off.

“Yes. But that’s not the point. Our former allegiances don’t matter anymore. We’re all on the same side now. We are part of Ke Daw Kawchoch.”  _ Those Who Change _ . “Anyway, we were on a mission when Ijeñ and Piyrŭ found us and took us here. Will and I are brothers now. We are Chyʼeñut Wratǒĵǔknoĵʝǔ jej Chyʼachyçi Wratǒĵǔknoĵʝǔ.”  _ Big Octopus and Little Octopus.  _

“And you’re okay with being taken by these people and turned into shapeshifters?” May asked.

“Technically, they aren’t people. Or at least, they’re not humans.” Will explained. “They’re aliens from a planet called T’ora. The language they speak, and you now speak, is called T’oran. They were sent on a mission by their god, Kawcha, to spread the message and unite people. They’ve traveled the galaxy, collecting four people from each planet. Earth is their fourth planet.”

“So will they leave now?” Jemma asked.

“No. They will leave when Kawcha tells them to.” Will told them. “And we will all go with them to their next planet.”

“What if we don’t want to?” May questioned.

“You will want to.” Ward answered. “Once you’ve joined Ke Daw Kawchoch, you can never go back.”

*****

Melinda and Jemma headed out of their tent and into the camp. They joined the rest of the cult for a breakfast of some kind of stew. She had no idea what was in it, but she couldn’t even remember the last time she had eaten anything. 

After they ate, they were approached by two women she had never seen before. They looked human, but given that the cult only took four new members from each planet, she knew they couldn’t be.

“Ôd Chŭngir, Dep Chŭngir,” the older woman greeted them. “Shim shi Ôd Potchikoch jej je shi Dep Potchikoch.”  _ My name is Mother Deer and this is Baby Deer.  _ “Sid p’e chi chyǒ chi awyot ñawd.”  _ We are taking you on your first hunt.  _

“Yǔt chyǔr?”  _ For food?  _ Jemma asked.

“Yǔt huñ.”  _ For sacrifice.  _ Ôd Chŭngir answered. They turned around and gestured for them to follow. 

“Great, an animal sacrifice,” Melinda muttered to Jemma.

“As if this alien cult couldn’t get any creepier.” Jemma replied.

Melinda didn’t want to follow them out into the woods, but she did anyway. Jemma grabbed her hand as they walked. They had been following the women for nearly a mile when they caught up to them.

“Do you speak English?” Melinda asked them. T’oran still felt too strange for her to speak all the time. 

“Of course.” Ôd Potchikoch replied. “We’re from Asgard.”

“You’re Asgardians?” Jemma questioned. “That explains why you look human.”

“So what are your real names?” Melinda asked.

“What do you mean?” Dep Potchikoch spoke for the first time. 

“Your Asgardian names.” Melinda pressed. 

“My name was Jaddvor.” The older woman told them. “My daughter was Dalla.”

“Is she really your daughter?” Jemma asked. “Like, was she always your daughter?”

“No.” Jaddvor answered. “Dalla was a student of mine. She was working on an extra credit project with me after school one day when we were taken. What about you?”

“We worked together at SHIELD.” Melinda told them. “We were sent on a mission to investigate a sighting of shapeshifters. Who of course turned out to be your leaders.”

“So there are two other Asgardians with you?” Jemma asked

“Yes.” Jaddvor replied. “Varin and Kraki. I’m not entirely sure who they were before, but they’re brothers now. Chyʼeñut Mimu and Chyʼachyçi Mimu.”  _ Big Wolf and Little Wolf.  _

“How many others are there? How many other planets have they gone to?” Melinda questioned.

“Hala.” Dalla explained. “There are four Kree in the group, as well as the four T’orans who started the group.”

“We’re nearing the targets.” Jaddvor cut them off. 

The way she said the word targets sent chills down her spine, but she ignored it. She doubted it meant anything horrible. She probably just meant they were nearing a good hunting spot. Poor choice of words. 

But as she looked around, a sense of dread grew. They weren’t nearing a hunting ground. They were nearing a schoolyard. 

“Get ready,” Jaddvor told them.

“You can’t seriously mean-,” Jemma’s protest was cut off by a hiss. A growl that came from her as she changed into a snake. Melinda felt herself change with her.

Suddenly, she wasn’t in control of her own actions. She and Jemma sprinted to the playground. They each snapped at the ankles of two children near the edge. The children bent down to stop them, and they attacked them. They grabbed them and dragged them away within seconds. As soon as they reached the woods, they were changed back into their human selves. They tied up the two children and dragged them back to the camp.

*****

Jemma wanted to feel sick. She wanted to be disgusted with herself. She was about to sacrifice a child to some twisted alien god. She should feel horrible. But she couldn’t feel anything. 

It was dark now, and they were back in the clearing with the rest of the cult. The two children they had captured had been kept tied up and unconscious all day. But now they were laid out on an altar, completely awake but unable to move. Jemma stood in front of one child, a young boy, and Melinda stood in front of a young girl. She looked as though she was about to cry or vomit. Jemma knew why. She knew Melinda still struggled with what happened to her in Bahrain. She wasn’t going to handle this well.

Ijeñ and Piyrŭ stood on the other side of the altar. They handed them each a sharp knife. Jemma looked down at the little boy. He was maybe seven years old. He looked terrified. She wanted to tell him she was sorry. That she didn’t want to do this. That she had no choice. But she couldn’t.

All she could do was put the knife to his chest. As they cut them open, Ijeñ and Piyrŭ started to speak. 

“Kawcha, kawjǒ pu Ke Daw Kawchoch, shid po Chi ǒ huñ tat a jetcho Chi ĵʝǔp Chi datǒn, ud, jej ĵǔkni bǔbi.”  _ Kawcha, god of Those Who Change, we offer you this gift today to thank you for your protection, love, and steady rule.  _ They cut the children open from their throats, all the way down their torsos. “Ĵʝǒk ǒ huñ no k’ich ĵǔsh pu jedjǔg ñǒ Chi iyruchy, chy’am, taĵǔkniy miyrǔrna. K’ich huñ ñǒ Ke Daw Kawchach.”  _ Accept this gift as a token of appreciation from your faithful, loyal, unwavering servants. A gift from those who change.  _

Jemma and Melinda reached inside the children and removed some of their internal organs, including their stomachs, intestines, lungs, and hearts. They laid them on the altar as an offering to Kawcha. 

But the ritual wasn’t over yet. 

“Jetcho Kawcha.” The crowd began to chant.

They picked up the hearts from the altar and began to eat them. Jemma felt beyond sick, but she kept eating it. She had no choice in the matter. She was no longer in control of her own body. 

After they ate the hearts, a Kree man and woman took the children’s bodies and carried them away while Ijeñ and Piyrŭ burned the organs in red flames and said a prayer over them. 

Grant and Will took their hands and led them back to their tent. The crowd had dispersed, and as she walked by the two Kree, she saw them skinning and carving up the bodies.

When they were left alone, Jemma curled up beside Melinda, feeling the control of her body come back to her mind. Within seconds of regaining control, they both violently threw up on the ground. Then they curled back up and cried themselves to a nightmare filled sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Melinda felt like her brain was being stirred. The part of her that was still her was terrified and disgusted. She hated herself. She was becoming a monster. She had sacrificed a child to some bizarre alien god and eaten her heart. She hadn’t felt this bad since Bahrain. 

But there was a part of her that felt perfectly fine with what happened. The part of her that wasn’t really her anymore. The part of her that was being controlled. The part of her that seemed to be growing larger everyday. She wondered how long it would be until it took over entirely. Until she wasn’t Melinda May at all anymore. Until she was only Ôd Chŭngir.

The morning after the sacrifice, she and Jemma headed out into the camp. They sat down next to Jaddvor and Dalla. It felt strange to sit next to the people who led them on a hunt for children, but it was still somehow better than sitting next to Ward. 

They ate the same kind of stew they’d had the day before. But as she ate, she came to a horrifying realization. She knew why she hadn’t recognized the taste the day before. She had never eaten this before. But she remembered the two Kree carving up those children’s bodies the night before. And she realized what she was eating. She was eating them. She looked over to Jemma, who seemed to be making the same realization. 

She wanted to be sick. But somehow, she was able to stomach it and keep eating. She had no choice anymore. She wasn’t really her anymore.

*****

Fitz and Daisy sat in Coulson’s office. Two months had passed. They had sent out several teams to search for May and Jemma. No one had found a trace of them. The local police had opened an investigation, but every lead was a dead end. There had been sightings of supposed shapeshifters along the Ohio River, but they had never been able to track them or find evidence of a settlement. 

Fitz was still holding out hope. He couldn’t afford to lose hope. Jemma couldn’t just be gone. People didn’t just disappear into thin air. That wasn’t possible. She was out there somewhere. Because he couldn’t even bear to consider the alternative. 

“I still think they were kidnapped.” He told them. 

“And taken where?” Daisy argued. “There’s no sign of them. There have been other sightings of shapeshifters along the Ohio River, but none in the same area they disappeared in.”

“They could have been taken somewhere else.” Fitz pointed out. “If they’re following the Ohio River-,”

“We don’t even know if it’s the same shapeshifters.” She cut him off. “We don’t even know if they’re really shapeshifters because we’ve never actually found them. If these people kidnapped them, at this point they’re probably dead.”

“But they’ve never found bodies.”

“They’ve never found anything, Fitz.” She snapped. “Their bodies could have been destroyed, or just really well hidden. I hate to say it, but when people are missing for this long without a trace, if they’re found, it’s usually just their remains. I think it’s time to face the reality of the situation.”

“They’re not dead!” Fitz shouted. “They can’t be dead. Jemma can’t be dead.”

“Fitz, calm down.” Coulson told him. “Simmons and May might be dead. But they might still be alive. We don’t know. Hopefully, we’ll find something soon.”

“Do you think they ran away?” He asked.

“Why would they do that?” She rolled her eyes. “And why would they leave together? It’s not like Simmons is her daughter or something.”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged.

“I think if they wanted to leave SHIELD, they would have told us. They wouldn’t just disappear.” Coulson argued. “But I guess it's comforting to think they’re out there living safe and sound in an apartment somewhere.”

“It’s a comforting thought.” Daisy agreed. “But we all know it isn’t the truth. We need to find the truth. Because none of us are ever going to be able to rest or get any kind of closure until we do.”


	6. Chapter 6

Weeks passed. Maybe months. Jemma didn’t know. Time didn’t seem to matter anymore. She only knew that it was getting colder. Judging from the trees, it was early fall. At night, she and Melinda had taken to curling up together as cats with thick, fluffy coats to keep warm. 

It was feeling far less strange here now. But she was also feeling far less like herself now. She was settled into the cult. The language felt natural to her now. And their ways didn’t seem as scary anymore. 

There was still a small part of her that screamed that this was wrong. The sacrifice ritual that she and Melinda had participated in was some kind of initiation, thanking Kawcha for changing them. They sacrificed people and animals frequently, and ate whatever was sacrificed, but most of the rituals were performed by the leaders themselves. So Jemma had still only eaten one raw human heart, and she intended to keep it that way. 

One afternoon, Ijeñ and Piyrŭ approached them in the camp as they carved two men’s bodies from their latest sacrifice. 

“Shid goyrǔz chi chyǒ k’ich jeg.”  _ We’re sending you on a mission.  _ Ijeñ told them. 

“Awyuk? A na?”  _ Where? For what?  _ Melinda asked.

“Chi ok bǔni a SHIELD.”  _ You’re going back to SHIELD.  _ She explained. 

“Mit’awp?”  _ Why?  _

“No awnhu no kar tawĵʝaw a shid, shid ru roshtaw yich k’iry chyawktǔp daj.”  _ As long as they are searching for us, we will never be able to truly thrive here.  _ Piyrŭ replied.

“Shid chǔ chi a echy’u kar.”  _ We need you to destroy them.  _

*****

Melinda got in the backseat of a stolen car with Jemma. Ward and Will were taking them back to SHIELD. Well, they were dropping them off several blocks away from the Playground. They would walk the rest of the way on their own.

She never thought she would dread going back to SHIELD, but she did. The human part of her did, anyway. She knew why she was going back. She wasn’t being set free. She was being sent to destroy SHIELD. To kill her friends. And then she would be taken back to the cult, and eventually be dragged off to another planet to kidnap more members. 

She hated this. The rest of their team would welcome them back excitedly, completely oblivious to their true intentions. They would never in a million years suspect they were sent to kill them all. And they would kill them. They would do it without any control over the situation. Coulson, Fitz, Daisy, and everyone else were going to be ripped to pieces by whatever monstrous animals they were turned into. 

She sat in silence with Jemma the entire ride. Jemma held her hand tightly and rested her head on her shoulder. She could tell she was scared. But there wasn’t much she could do to comfort her. She was just as scared as her daughter. 

When the car finally stopped, Ward turned to them before they got out. 

“Good luck.” He told them. 

Melinda nodded and stepped out of the car with Jemma. Jemma let go of her hand as they walked towards the Playground. The others didn’t know about their new bond, and they could never know. It would only confuse them and make them suspicious. 

They walked through the hangar doors together and alarms went off. They stayed put and within seconds, people were rushing in to see what was going on. Everyone stood stunned when they saw them. Their faces were a mixture of relief, shock, and elation. 

“Jemma, you’re okay.” Fitz was the first to speak. He came running towards them and hugged Jemma tightly. 

The others followed suit.

“May,” Coulson hugged her. “I missed you so much. We were so worried.”

“We’re alright.” She lied. 

She and Jemma followed everyone into the base. They gave each other a look, and prepared themselves for whatever was going to happen next. 


	7. Chapter 7

Phil laid in bed thinking. He was thrilled to have May and Simmons back. They had been back for two days, now. The morale of the whole team had gone up since they miraculously reappeared at base. They seemed normal and unharmed, much to his relief. 

Neither of them wanted to talk much about what happened. They told him that they had gone too far into the woods searching for the shapeshifters. They got lost, their GPS broke, and their phones died. They couldn’t figure out where they’d come from and ended up walking miles in the wrong direction. They spent the next weeks wandering and hitchhiking their way back to base.

Phil thought it was an odd story. May had always had an excellent sense of direction. He had never known her to get lost on a mission. And even if they had gotten lost, would it really have taken them over two months to find their way back? And why had they never tried to reach out to them? Surely at some point on the way back they would have had the chance to charge their phones or find payphone, right? And if they were hitchhiking, couldn’t they have used someone else’s phone? But they both insisted that this was what had happened, and he had stopped questioning them.

He eventually fell asleep, but was awoken by a knock on the door. He looked at his alarm clock. It was two in the morning. 

“Hello?” A woman’s voice called. He thought he recognized it, but he had no idea how she could be here. “Can I come in?” 

He didn’t reply, but the door opened anyway. A woman stood in the doorway, but she didn’t walk into his room. She just stared at him. He could only see her figure in the dark.

“Phil?” The voice called again. 

“Who are you?” He demanded. 

“It’s me.” She replied. “Don’t you remember me?” 

She reached over and flipped the light on. Standing there was exactly who he’d initially thought. 

“Audrey?” He called out. 

She smiled, and it sent chills down his spine. She took a step closer to him. There was something off about her. There was a look in her eyes he had never seen in Audrey. It was creepy. Almost malicious. Like she was there to hurt him. 

She turned the light back off and kept walking towards him. He laid there, feeling paralyzed with fear. 

“Dabish ĵʝǔi,” Audrey monotoned in a language he had never heard before. “Dabish ĵʝǔi. Dabish ĵʝǔi.”

She kept chanting as she got closer to him. Each time she said it, it was slightly louder and creepier. Sometimes the voice was pitched much higher or lower, but the flat tone remained the same. 

She reached out and touched his face, running her hand down it. It settled around his throat.

“Mi chyçǒn ĵʝǔi.” She said. This time, her voice was an inhuman growl. 

She let go of him, scratching his neck. Then she turned and ran out the door, closing it behind her.

*****

The next morning, Melinda noticed that Coulson looked rattled. She and Jemma had been settling back into the team fairly well, all things considered. They had lied about what happened because they weren’t sure they would be safe if they told them the truth. 

After a meeting in his office, she walked up to him when the others had left.

“Is something wrong?” She asked.

“Something really creepy happened last night.” He told her. “I feel like it had to have been a dream, but it felt so real.”

“What happened?” Worry rose inside her.

“Audrey came into my room.” He explained. “Except I don’t think it was quite her. It was her body and face, and it was her voice for the most part. But there was something really off about her. She seemed almost evil. And she started chanting at me.”

“What did she say?”

“I didn’t recognize the language. I’d never heard it before.”

“What did it sound like?” She was starting to panic. 

“Dabish ĵʝǔi,” his pronunciation of the language was bad, but she still knew what he said.  _ Death comes.  _ “And then she growled at me and grabbed my neck. She said mi chyçǒn ĵʝǔi.”  _ The end comes.  _ “Then she just left. It couldn’t have been Audrey. But what the hell was it? Was it just a dream?”

Melinda knew it was a warning. And she had an awful feeling she had done this. She didn’t remember doing it. She hadn’t even realized she could shift into another person. But her gut told her she did this. And that thought horrified her like nothing had before.

*****

That night, Daisy got out of bed to go to the bathroom. When she stepped out into the hallway, she could see a figure sitting at the end. It was facing away from her. But she could hear it softly humming. It almost sounded like a child.

“Hello?” She called out to it, walking closer, against her better judgement. 

It turned to face her. It stood up. As she got closer, she could see it was a woman. Once she got close enough to see the woman clearly, chills went down her spine. She froze, horrified. 

The woman had her face. She was her. It was like looking in a mirror. Except that this version of her felt wrong. The woman smiled, in a way that looked almost insane, like the smile a serial killer might have as they stabbed their latest victim. And the look in her eyes was nothing short of pure evil.

“Who the hell are you?” Daisy demanded.

“Dabish ĵʝǔi,” the woman replied in a chilling version of her own voice. “Dabish ĵʝǔi,”

“What does that mean?” She asked as the woman got closer. 

“Mi chyçǒn ĵʝǔi,” the woman said, her voice now unnaturally high. “Mi chyçǒn ĵʝǔi.” This time, her voice was a low growl.

The woman reached Daisy. She reached out and ran her almost claw-like nails down her face. Then she turned and fled, disappearing into the dark. 


	8. Chapter 8

Jemma stood in horror as Daisy told her what had happened the night before, both because it was disturbing and because she got the feeling she had done it. She had no memory of doing it. She just knew that she did.

Yesterday, Melinda had told her what had happened to Coulson. He seemed to think it was just a really vivid dream, but she seemed to think she had been the one to do it. And if she had done that, Jemma knew it was possible she had done this.

It was a terrifying revelation. They weren’t just capable of turning into animals. They could turn themselves into other people and imitate their voices. And they had no control over it. They didn’t even have memory of it.

She walked out of the lab where she had been talking to Fitz and Daisy and went down to the gym. She hoped to find Melinda there, and she did. 

“Apparently, I turned into Daisy last night and threatened her in the hallway.” She told her. “And I don’t even remember doing it. This is really bad, May.”

“It is.” She agreed. 

“We could kill them at any moment and not be able to do anything about it. We might not even remember it. We’d just wake up in a building full of dead bodies.”

“If they even let us wake up here.” May pointed out.

“How can we just let this happen?”

“We have to. We have no other choice. They’ll know if we leave. They’ll just find us and send us back. They’ll make us kill them, no matter what. They made it very clear that they won’t give up until SHIELD is destroyed.”

“And we have to be their vassal to destroy them.”

*****

Fitz was in the lab with Bobbi and Hunter. Bobbi was helping him go over some theories while Hunter drank beer and made snarky comments. It had been a fairly quiet day, although Daisy’s story about seeing an evil version of herself in the hallway the night before had everyone a little on edge.

“Do you think Daisy saw a shapeshifter last night?” Fitz asked Bobbi. “Do you think Jemma and May somehow brought a shapeshifter back with them? I know it doesn’t line up with their story, but it is odd that they returned and suddenly weird shit starts happening. Don’t you think?”

Bobbi didn’t respond. Suddenly, she was just staring off in the distance. It almost felt like suddenly she wasn’t Bobbi anymore.

“Bob?” Hunter waved his hand in front of her face. 

Suddenly, grabbed a knife from her boot. Before either of them had time to react, she slit Hunter’s throat. Then she turned to Fitz. 

He managed to avoid the knife and duck behind the counter. But then she leaped across it, suddenly a wolf. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted out the door. She chased him and caught him, pinning him down in the hallway. 

He heard another wolf running behind him, followed by two sets of human footsteps. He heard Daisy quake the wolf, then heard what sounded like a bird taking off. Suddenly, there were two gunshots.

The wolf on top of him dropped to the floor. He got up just in time to see the wolf and the bird turn into Jemma and May. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parts of this chapter are very graphic and may be disturbing. You have been warned.

Coulson stood stunned as the two violent animals on the ground turned into May and Simmons. Everyone else in the hallway looked just as shocked. 

“What the hell is going on?” Mack asked. He had come running down the hallway with a gun and saved everyone.

“I’m not sure.” Coulson admitted. “But some things make a lot more sense now.”

“Their story about how they went missing didn’t make sense because it was a lie.” Fitz realized out loud. “They were taken by the shapeshifters.”

“And evidently turned into them.” Daisy added. “So last night, when I saw myself in the hallway, it was one of them.”

“The night before, I swore I saw Audrey, my girlfriend before the Battle of New York.” He told them. “I thought it was a dream, but apparently, it wasn’t.”

“They were warning us.” Mack realized.

“Where’s Bobbi and Hunter?” Daisy asked. 

“Jemma had turned herself into Bobbi before they went to the lab with me.” Fitz explained. “She killed Hunter. But I don’t know where Bobbi is.”

A new sense of dread fell over them. 

“Mack and Fitz, take May and Simmons down to the containment pods.” Coulson ordered. “Daisy and I will search for Bobbi.”

Coulson and Daisy headed down the hallway. They searched the rec room, but she wasn’t there. Then they checked her bunk, but she wasn’t there either. They checked the gym, but there was no sign of her. They checked every room and storage closest on the floor, but she was nowhere to be found.

Finally, they headed down to the basement. Fitz and Mack were settling May and Simmons down in containment pods, but Bobbi wasn’t in there. She wasn’t in the vault where they’d kept Ward, either. 

The last place they had to check was an abandoned storage vault. He took a deep breath before opening the door. Nothing could have prepared him for what he actually saw when he turned on the light. 

Bobbi was lying on the floor. But she was hardly recognizable as Bobbi anymore. Her body had been completely skinned, except for her head, which was lying on the ground next to her body. Her skin was strung up on the wall. 

Daisy ran out of the room and threw up, and Coulson followed her. Mack and Fitz came running down the hall towards them.

“What’s going on?” Mack asked. He and Fitz looked inside the door. They both looked shocked and sickened.

“Th-they couldn’t have d-done that.” Fitz stammered. “Th-they’re n-not c-capable of that.” 

“But I think they did.” Coulson replied. “There’s no other way this could have happened.”

*****

Melinda woke up with some memory of what had happened. It was kind of a blur, but she remembered it. She remembered killing Bobbi. She remembered holding her down while Jemma cut her head off. She remembered flaying the body with her and hanging the skin on the wall. 

She remembered that she and Jemma split up after they left. Jemma turned into Bobbi and headed up to the lab. Melinda waited several minutes, sitting unable to move next to Bobbi’s body. Then suddenly, she turned into a wolf and sprinted up the stairs she ran into Coulson’s office, where he and Daisy were talking. She attacked.

Daisy quaked her and she ran out into the hall. She quaked her again and she turned into a raven, flying into the air to try and get away. But then Mack stormed into the hallway and shot her and Jemma.

The next thing she knew, she woke up alone in one of the containment rooms in the basement. She was horrified by what she had done. She had killed Bobbi. She had tried to kill Coulson and Daisy. She and Jemma could have killed everyone. And they had no control over any of it. They couldn’t stop. Ijeñ and Piryŭ were in control of everything. It was terrifying. 

But what made her fear even worse was that Jemma wasn’t there. What had they done with her? 

“Jemma!” She screamed. What had they done with her daughter? “Jemma!”

A few moments later, Coulson came rushing down into the containment pod, separated from her like she was a caged animal. Which in many ways, she was. 

“Where is Jemma?” 

“She’s in her own containment room.” He told her. “She’s okay.”

“I want to see her.” She begged. “Let her come in here with me. Please.”

“We decided it was best to keep the two of you in your own separate rooms.”

“You can’t leave her alone. They’re controlling her.” She explained desperately. “They could hurt her.”

“They can’t get to either of you in here.” He comforted. “They can’t control you here. You can’t shift in here. These rooms keep powers contained.”

“I just want to see my baby.” She started to cry. 

Suddenly, she heard a scream that made her run to the door, trying to get out.

“Mama!”

*****

Jemma woke up alone and afraid. She remembered everything, although it all seemed to run together. She remembered killing Bobbi. She remembered killing Hunter. She remembered trying to kill Fitz. She had tried to stop, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t the one in control of her body. 

“Mama!” She screamed. Where was May? What had they done with her? “Mama!”

Coulson came running into the room. 

“Jemma, calm down.” He sat down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. “She’s alright. She’s safe.”

“No she isn’t.” 

“They can’t control you here.” He reminded her.

“You have to let me see her!” She screamed. “You don’t understand. I need her!”

“I think she needs you too.”

He took her hand and led her into May’s room. May was at the door waiting for her, and she immediately took her in her arms. 

“Let’s go to bed, baby.” She told her. “We need to rest.”

Jemma nodded and followed May to the bed. She cuddled up next to her and they cried together.

“We killed Bobbi.” Jemma sobbed. “I killed Hunter. I tried to kill Fitz.”

“I know.” She pressed a soft kiss in her hair. “I tried to kill Coulson and Daisy.”

“Thank God Mack stopped us.” 

“If only he could have stopped us sooner.”


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, Coulson called a meeting. The whole team was shaken by the horrors that had unfolded the day before. May and Simmons were being controlled. They had brutally murdered two agents, and they would have killed everyone.

He felt guilty. He felt like this was partially his fault. He should have known better than to just let them back in like everything was normal. He should’ve realized sooner what was going on. If he had, this all could have been prevented. 

“Yesterday was a terrible day for everyone.” He began. “We all saw things we can’t unsee. May and Simmons did things they can’t undo.”

“That’s putting it lightly.” Mack cut in. “They flayed Bobbi and cut off her head. And they came back here knowing they were going to do it.”

“They were being controlled.” Daisy defended them. “Those people are in their heads. They had no choice.”

“Something definitely happened to them. And I think it’s more than being controlled.” Coulson told them. “Last night, after they woke up in their containment rooms, Melinda started screaming for Jemma, saying that she needed her. And then Jemma started screaming for May. And she called her Mama. We need to figure out what’s going on with them before we figure out how to deal with this. We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with here.”

“We’re dealing with evil here, plain and simple.” Mack replied. “Pure evil.”

*****

Melinda was sitting in bed with Jemma when the rest of the team came down. They brought them food and a lot of questions.

They told them everything. About the transformation ritual, and the bonding ritual, and the sacrifices. They told them what the cult did, who it was led by, and who was in it. Including Ward.

“Why does it not surprise me that Ward joined a cult of evil aliens?” Daisy remarked.

“Not to be defending Ward, but I don’t think he joined willingly.” Jemma replied. “Ijeñ and Piyrŭ don’t recruit people. They kidnap them.” 

“Not counting you two, there’s how many people in the cult?” Coulson asked. 

“Fourteen.” Melinda answered. “Four T’orans, the original shapeshifters, four Asgardians, four Kree, and Ward and Will.”

“That’s a lot of shapeshifters.” Mack replied. 

Just then, the alarm started buzzing. Coulson pulled up the security footage on his tablet.

“Speaking of which, get your guns.” He told them. “Two lions just broke in.” Melinda and Jemma started to get up, but he stopped them. “Not you two. If you leave, they can control you again.” 

The team left. They heard fighting and gunshots upstairs. Several minutes later, they returned with the bodies of two T’orans. They were both male, but they had the same silver hair and colorless eyes as Ijeñ and Piyrŭ. 

“Who are they?” Coulson questioned.

“Nak’ŭnhe and Awknǔ _ . _ ” Melinda told them. “Two of the original shapeshifters.”

“What should we do with them?” Daisy asked.

“Kill them.” Jemma replied. “They weren’t kidnapped and mind controlled like the rest of us. They joined willingly and they came here willingly.”

“She’s right.” Melinda agreed. “We need to take them out before they wake up and attack again. Because they won’t stop until they destroy SHIELD.”

“Won’t the leaders just send more?” Fitz asked.

“Of course they will.” Melinda replied. “Which is why we need to kill Ijeñ and Piyrŭ.”

*****

“How do we kill them?” Coulson asked.

Jemma wasn’t honestly sure. But she knew that Melinda was right.

“You have to send us back.” Melinda told him, seemingly already having a plan. “It’s the only way. We know them. We know their camp. We know where they are. We can kill them.”

“We can’t send you.” Daisy argued. “They’ll have control of your minds the moment you walk out of this room.”

“May’s right.” Jemma replied. “You have to send us. We’re the only ones who know the terrain. We’re the only ones who really know what we’re up against. Besides, we’re the ones who caused all this. We’re the ones who killed Bobbi and Hunter. We owe it to them, to all of you, to be the ones to finish this.”


	11. Chapter 11

Melinda and Jemma planned the entire attack in the containment room with the team. They would drive out there and be dropped off a few miles from the camp. They would walk the rest of the way. The remainder of the team would be planted throughout the area, waiting to be called in for backup. 

Melinda knew they had to be careful. They couldn’t think about the plan once they left the room, in case Ijeñ and Piyrŭ could see it. They just had to know in the back of their minds what to do.

They would have trackers embedded in them that would give the team their location. They were specially made by Fitz, and had sensors that would alert the team if they were attacked or were fighting. The rest of the team would come in when the fight started. 

Melinda held Jemma’s hand as they sat in the quinjet. They were nearing the Gallipolis, Ohio, the nearest town to the camp. They were scared. They had no idea what would happen to them when they got back. And they had no idea what would happen to the team. They had no idea what Ijeñ and Piyrŭ would make them do. They still very well could succeed in destroying SHIELD. 

*****

Jemma approached the camp with Melinda. They were immediately greeted by Will and Ward.

“You failed in your mission.” Ward told them. 

“We tried our best.” Jemma defended. “But they stopped us. You of all people should’ve known defeating SHIELD wouldn’t be that easy.”

“Did you kill any of them?” He asked.

“Bobbi and Hunter.” May answered. 

“Good.” He said with a smile Jemma wanted to smack off his face. “It’s a start. But it isn’t enough. Ijeñ and Piyrŭ will want to speak with you.”

They nodded and followed them to the leaders’ tent. It was larger than the rest of theirs. Jemma had never been inside it before.

“Shid bia ñaw a o chi dabish.”  _ We were beginning to think you died.  _ Ijeñ told them. 

Jemma got the feeling she was about to wish she would have.

“Shim chy’echy bǔ pu chi chyçǒ muk mi shig nechy. Chi pom a kad nen na ja a yǔdna daw je ta kǒ mi shishtona pu Kawcha.”  _ I want both of you out in the clearing now. You’re about to find out what happens to people who don’t follow the wishes of Kawcha. _

They followed orders and headed into the clearing. It wasn’t like they had the choice to do anything else. She could feel herself being controlled again. And she knew Melinda was too. 

The rest of the cult soon surrounded them. Jemma was suddenly frozen to the spot. And May was suddenly a wolf. May leaped forward and attacked her. 

“Mama!” She cried. “Stop!”

She screamed and sobbed, but May didn’t stop. She bit and clawed at her. Within seconds, she was covered in her own blood, unable to fight back. She bit a chunk from her leg. She screamed in agony, but May didn’t stop. She ran her claws down her face and across one eye. 

But suddenly, she heard footsteps come running through the trees. Mack was pulling May off of her. She turned just in time to see Daisy quaking Ijeñ and Piyrŭ against two trees. The shapeshifters began to change into different animals and attacked them. 

Jemma scrambled to her feet, fighting hard to regain control of her body. Their leaders were distracted, and their hold had loosened. May suddenly charged at Ijeñ and attacked. Jemma turned into a wolf as well and attacked Piyrŭ. Almost simultaneously, they tore the leaders’ throats open with their claws. They fell to the ground dead.

The fighting stopped. The captive cult members were released from the control of their leaders. Everything seemed to blur together after that.

Jemma’s head was wrapped to control the bleeding from her eye, which she knew she would never see out of again, and her leg was wrapped as well where May had bitten it.

Ward and Will would be taken into SHIELD custody. The other shapeshifters would be taken to containment rooms to recover before returning to their home planets. 

Jemma knew she and May would never be able to forgive themselves for what they’d done. She didn’t know how they’d ever recover from this or how they’d move on. She didn’t know what they would do now. She didn’t know if they could ever even be agents again.

But she did know that Ijeñ and Piyrŭ would never be able to spread their evil to another planet. They would never be able to do anyone else what they’d done to them. And for right now, that was all that mattered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this story spooked you. And I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
